<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Content by LilyVioletsRoses</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29473842">Content</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyVioletsRoses/pseuds/LilyVioletsRoses'>LilyVioletsRoses</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Self-Esteem Issues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:53:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,381</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29473842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyVioletsRoses/pseuds/LilyVioletsRoses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amethyst just wants to feel like belong somewhere, but she can't shake the impression that she's being a problem.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Garnet/Pearl (Steven Universe)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Content</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just wanted to quickly get this idea out of my head</p>
<p>Never posted here before, please be gentle</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Amethyst, stop splashing water at us!"</p>
<p>The teenager laughed, a mischievous smile drawing on her lips. She didn't intend to give up her fun, as she cupped another portion of water into her hands and threw it in the direction of the blanket by the shore, on which Pearl and Garnet tried to feed Steven small fruit slices. The toddler seemed to completely ignore two women's attempts and decided to turn his full attention to the short girl floundering in the shallow water of the lake. He clapped his hands and giggled loudly at Amethyst as she stuck out her tongue at her sister. The pale woman gritted her teeth as she spoke once again: "Amethyst, I'm warning you!-" </p>
<p>"Calm down, Pearl."</p>
<p>The darker woman beside her turned her covered face to her partner, turning her gaze away from the tiny boy for just a second, her expression neutral. "It's summer, let her have her fun." She squeezed her shoulder lightly, now turning to face the teenage girl. "But she's right, Ames, we're trying to negotiate here. Come take a break with us for now." </p>
<p>The young woman groaned and looked up to the bright sky, momentarily regretted her action when the blinding, luminous sun met her uncovered gaze. She rubbed at her eyes and scooted over to the shore. </p>
<p>"Here, dry off." Garnet handed her a towel she'd previously left discarded on the blanket before running off to bathe in the blissfully cool water, a blessing on a sweltering summer day like this. She accepted the towel and wrapped herself in it, preventing the water drops from covering more of the beach blanket, shaking ever so slightly. "Are you hungry?"</p>
<p>"Y-you bet! What's on the menu?" Pearl leaned over her shoulder to take a look inside her bag. "Fruit, sandwiches, some-" She stopped, concluding that she won't talk her sister into eating something reasonable if she'll mention cookies, so she decided to leave out that detail. "I think there's still some salad with fried chicken in the side pocket." </p>
<p>Amethyst let out a quiet growl, visibly disappointed about the content of the plastic container. She already warmed up and the tremor running through her body has mostly ceased. She ate in silence as she watched her older companions tend to the toddler settled in the darker woman's lap. He gripped his tiny sweaty hand at the sleeve of Garnet's shorts and waved his other arm vividly in the air as he babbled something incomprehensible with a huge smile on her chubby face. </p>
<p>Amethyst smirked as she watched her sister try and bribe her son into finishing his meal. She looked exhausted, the short woman noted, as she noticed the dark circles under the pale woman's eyes, now less visible under a layer of pinkish sunburn. Despite getting an inadequate amount of rest every night and having to dedicate practically all of her time to look after the small child, she supposed she looked... content. This was the most frequent she's seen her smile in years. Even with Rose, she appeared a tad discomposed now and then. Maybe a result of Rose's openness about her relationship, Amethyst pondered. Pearl wasn't like her by any means. She was knowns for feeling very uneasy at her partner bringing new people into her life every so often. And right now, having created a somewhat-stable life with Garnet after prolonged periods of heartbreaking sobbing after Rose's death, now with fewer... unplanned events occurring and more order Pearl finally seemed to find what she needed; peace and stability.</p>
<p>Amethyst frowned at the thought that popped into her head; it's not that she wasn't happy for her. Pearl always had it rough while still living with her mother. She was put under a lot of pressure at all times. This was a nice shift. But still, Amethyst felt uneasy at these changes that took place shortly after Steven's birth. Everyone was constantly in rush and still grieving after Rose's passing but somehow they managed to create a life together. Amethyst felt jealous. She wanted this... certainty that everything is going to be okay. She wanted that for herself, she wanted what Pearl and Garnet had. She had lived with them ever since they moved in together, although she always felt like she didn't belong there. Like she didn't fit in. It wasn't her real home. She had no real home, really; living with Pearl and her mother in the past didn't feel right either. It felt alienated in her own house. She didn't wanna disturb their perfect little life. She didn't want to be a problem. </p>
<p>Then she remembered all the times Garnet went to fetch her from her school, in the late afternoons whenever she got into trouble which happened quite often. Garnet wasn't family, not exactly, but after some time it started to feel like she was. She wasn't like Pearl's mother though, she never yelled; never even raised her voice. Never minding Amethyst's unwillingness to converse with her she didn't push her to talk but waited patiently for what she has to say. Garnet always sounded so tired (a result of working late, she supposed) but despite everything going on she never seemed angry with her then, she still took her time to discuss whatever had happened. She also remembered to warn her about what Pearl would have to say about this. She seemed to get that school didn't come as easy to her as it did for Pearl and herself. Amethyst thought that was very sweet of her, though she never admitted it. </p>
<p>Then her mind drove off to a memory of Pearl holding her while she cried when they were children. Their mother wasn't satisfied with Amethyst's... frankly, anything about her. Her whole childhood had felt like she was only extra problems, extra expenses, extra waste of space. Pearl sluggishly stroked her short hair, whispering to her gently that she's enough, that she's important, and if their mother can't notice that now, then she won't ever but that's her loss. Amethyst never remembered how many times she was crying in Pearl's arms like that. She didn't want to try to recall painful memories. There were too many to count anyway. </p>
<p>A shadow of a smile crept its way onto her face as she watched the two<br/>women before her coo at their (but not exactly) son, letting him play with their hair, showering with kisses, and laughing with him. Amethyst looked longingly at that scene. Her fragile smile faded, replaced with a sorrowful frown as she turned her gaze away to stare at her hands instead. She wished she was showed this much love when she was a child. "Amethyst."</p>
<p>She perked up at the owner of the voice, a slight blush spreading over her cheeks. "Huh?"</p>
<p>Pearl giggled at the sight. Garnet smiled softly at her. Steven let out a happy noise. "Come on, sit with us."</p>
<p>She moved closed the pair, putting away her now-empty food container. Garnet patted the space beside her. Amethyst scooted over awkwardly and plopped beside the two of them, her eyes trained on the ground. Garnet put her hand in her long hair, rustling the white locks slightly. "Try not to stay in your head too much today. Take a break; it's vacation after all."</p>
<p>She shrugged. "Yeah."</p>
<p>Pearl bit her lip and frowned a little, a concerned expression drawn on her features. "Is everything alright Amethyst?" She cupped her chin and moved it up gently so their eyes met. "You know you can talk to us," Amethyst smirked and rolled her eyes offering a shy smile. "Yeah. I know."</p>
<p>They sat together in silence, watching the sunbeams hit the surface of the lake. Amethyst felt that maybe, in the end, she did belong after all. Maybe - despite all the tension between them - love won after all. </p>
<p>Maybe after high school, she would find a way to lead a life that would allow her to feel content for longer than just a sunny summer afternoon. </p>
<p>For now, though, she was content with the way the waves lazily hit the shore. She was content with the way she was being taken care of. She was content with who she was.</p>
<p>She hoped that feeling would last.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>